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The Empress Season 3: Sisi's Final Chapter Hits Netflix on November 12 – Everything to Know Before the Finale

Mark your calendars: in just two weeks, on November 12, 2026, the gates of Schönbrunn open one last time. Netflix has confirmed that "The Empress" ("Die Kaiserin"), the German period drama that won the International Emmy for Best Drama Series, returns with its third and final season. The renewal was announced in January 2025 and filming started in autumn 2025. Now, with the trailer and key art out, the end of Empress Elisabeth's on-screen reign is close. If you have fallen behind on Sisi's story, this is the week to catch up.

A quick refresher for lapsed viewers

Season 1 introduced the rebellious young Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (Devrim Lingnau, now credited as Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu), who stole the heart of Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant) even though he was supposed to marry her sister Helene (Elisa Schlott). Once in Vienna, she had to survive a court ruled by her formidable mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie (Melika Foroutan), and the plotting of Franz's ambitious brother, Archduke Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum), whose attempted coup failed. Season 2 got darker. Elisabeth lost her daughter Sophie and nearly died in childbirth, and she was under constant pressure to give the empire an heir. She finally gave birth to Crown Prince Rudolf. The season ended with Austria sliding into the Second Italian War of Independence. Franz rode out to lead his troops in person, leaving behind a star-shaped ring in memory of their daughter, while Maximilian, tired of never winning back his brother's trust, left the court with his wife.

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Actors (53)

Olivia Colman
Queen Elizabeth II
Tobias Menzies
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Helena Bonham Carter
Princess Margaret
Gillian Anderson
Margaret Thatcher
Josh O'Connor
Prince Charles
Emma Corrin
Lady Diana Spencer
Marion Bailey
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Erin Doherty
Princess Anne
Stephen Boxer
Denis Thatcher
Isobel Eadie
Sarah Spencer
Michael Colgan
IRA Lieutenant
Patrick Toomey
Philip's Private Secretary
Callum Coates
Butler at Althorp
Ronald Moger
Reporter
Alex Harland
Newsreader
Harriet Benson
Patricia Knatchbull
Valerie Sarruf
Dowager Lady Brabourne
Mark Carlisle
Lord Brabourne
Mark Brennan
Thomas McMahon
Gerard Ban Lavery
Fisherman
Rob Curling
Showjumping Commentator
Richard Stirling
Showjumping Timekeeper
Roy Sampson
Laurens van der Post
Amy Searles
Kanga
Andrew Piper
Balmoral Master of the Household
Laura Cairns
Balmoral Maid
Nicholas Day
Jim Prior
Richard Syms
Lord Hailsham
Peter Pacey
Lord Soames
Guy Siner
Francis Pym
Letty Thomas
Virginia Pittman
Allegra Marland
Carolyn Pride
Flora Higgins
Anne Bolton
Freddie Fox
Mark Thatcher
Rebecca Humphries
Carol Thatcher
Paul Bigley
John Nott
Geoffrey Breton
Mark Phillips
Don Gallagher
Willie Whitelaw
Charles Edwards
Martin Charteris
Penny Downie
Duchess of Gloucester
Angus Imrie
Prince Edward
Richard Goulding
Edward Adeane
Kevin McNally
Bernard Ingham
Paul Jesson
Sir Geoffrey Howe
Michael Buerk
Newsreader (voice)
Tom Byrne
Prince Andrew
Sam Phillips
Equerry
John Humphrys
Newsreader (voice)
Charles Dance
Lord Mountbatten
Brandon Whitt
Timothy Knatchbull
Evan Whitt
Nicholas Knatchbull
Patrick McBrearty
Francis McGirl
David Kerr
Showjumping Judge

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